Saturday 7 July 2007

Reasons to be cheerful - part 5

I could put my hand out and touch them - but I won't. I think there are six of them, but can't be sure. When the parent swallow goes off to find food they all rest their chins (do birds have chins?) on the rim of the nest. When mum arrives back they open wide their yellow maws. She goes off to seek further refreshment and the wide-mouths shut, Zippy fashion.

8 comments:

Seaborn said...

Swallows are good birds to have around. They are harbingers of good fortune.

mountainear said...

And don't they grow up quickly? Excellent picture.

We've still got a very noisy box of sparrows and maybe a wren. The redstarts left their box last week - spending the first night in the borders at the front of the barn. Our poor dog - an HPR,a German Wirehaired Pointer, was beside himself - hunting and pointing but fortunately not retrieving.

Mopsa said...

Welcome seaborn - I know that Lady Godiva painting very well.

M'ear - HPR???

Anonymous said...

This is what I could see last year in one of our little barns but they have moved their nest this year so the chicks are more difficult to see. Thanks for sharing this.
Sara from farmingfriends in Yorkshire

Around My Kitchen Table said...

What a great picture! My mother has swallows nesting in her garage at the moment. She's not keen on the shit on the car but is keeping the garage doors open so they can come and go as they please.

mountainear said...

Hunt Point Retrieve.

In the case of our useless mutt: Hunt mice, point his dinner and retrieve shoes.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

Fab!

Baby swallows alwas look like they're smiling.

I love when they're learning to fly and they sit with mum and dad on the rafters in the stables.

Anonymous said...

We just had some finches fledge...we could see the nest just outside our living room window..they were such entertainment. Sad now they have flown!